Our New At Your Seat Study Files!

I want to show you this file as this is the beginning of many to come! Clouds are the subject matter for this At Your Seat Study. There is so much to learn about clouds! The information in these cards teaches names of clouds and what they look like. As there are so many types, it is really hard for some students to remember! One would think visual learners would be able to remember this information quickly, but the trouble we find is when putting IN the information, we must make the visual connection then. My son, Jesse, is dyslexic, and I have learned that if I just take the time or create the tools to put the information in his head with a visual trigger, it is easily and painlessly recalled.
Let me show you how this product works:

These are the information cards. They contain- well, information! They hold that name of the cloud type in a red color, a couple of adjectives in green, and weather that comes with that cloud in blue. The information is written in complete sentences with these key facts highlighted. These 10 cards are cut apart and saved.
Next we have our letter cards:

These letter cards reference the green color coded adjectives that were in the information cards. Simplifying the adjectives down to letters help the student rememeber them better. Who knew- less IS sometimes more. For example, the large letters DG will say "this reminds me of Dark Grey". It is odd how this works, especially in a boy's mind but it does.
Our next cards are called Visual Key cards:

These cards build on the letter cards. As DG was given for Dark Grey, this card will now contain a block that is filled with a dark grey color. When F&C was given on the letter cards for "feathery" and "curls", we now have a picture of a feather and some curls. The adjectives are on this card so that the child connects the adjectives with the visual.
The next set of cards are called picture cards:

These cards have ONLY the picture clue- no words.
Now that you know what each cards is for, let me explain what to do with them.
The student now has a set of four cards: information, letter, visual key, and picture. There are four cards for EACH of the ten types of clouds. After all these cards are sorted into sets, we can begin learning the information. There is a 4 step learning mat and it looks like this:

On the first day, the student will lay down all four cards to his set. He will say the information out loud. This is crucial, as the eyes may not pick up what the hearing will. For my son, reading certain information out loud is KEY to learning. While it may seem simple, be assured that the eyes and ears are picking up colors and pictures and filing this information so that recall will be easy. Day one will be complete. The next day or session, only three cards are laid down on the mat: the letter card, the visual key card, and the picture card. On the third day there is one less card, and on the fourth day there is only the picture card remaining. If you were to ask your student about a particular cloud, they will now be able to tell you a couple of interesting things about them!
I hope you give this file a try. We have made these very affordable ($1) and will be adding more to the line.
These are more like "Super Flash Cards"!
Click here to shop at the store for these files:

Living Forever-Yes! Living Forever Here-No!

I cannot tell you how much I loved this story. By the last three chapters, I had put down my notes and had to just read!

Eternal life is something i have as a believer, but I can honestly say I never thought about how horrible eternal life would be if it was to be lived on this earth. The Tuck's experience outliving children, having no friends, constantly moving, the monotony of living everyday. It is not like they know the future and can be rich from their knowledge. They are forever poor and alone.

This is the story of one young girl having to make her desicion of eternal life. What a great book to read to your children. Think of all the conversations and debate you can have with this at dinnertime!

When you read the book, use the Lines of Time created just for this story. We have even adapted this product line to assess two different levels of learners.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this product. Lines of Time for Tuck Everlasting is available as an instant download or on a CD.

Blessings,
Shannon Coe
Fortunately For You Books

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Preschool E-Book Review

Because I have a two and a half year old daughter, when I was given the opportunity to review the E-book Creating a rich environment and a fun place to learn for preschoolers for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I jumped on it. This upcoming school year is going to be even more challenging than when my daughter was a baby. I have a fourth grader who needs a lot of one-on-one and throwing a soon to be preschooler into the mix has me scrambling this summer for ideas to keep her busy when school starts again. This book was exactly what I needed. All of the contributing authors are experienced homeschool moms that have a lot of wonderful advice and ideas to offer. By the time you are done reading this book, here is list of what you will have learned:

• Field trips- ideas for some great field trips, as well as how to plan and prepare for them
• Chores- when and how to implement them and what is age appropriate
  
• Music- why to use music and how to choose the correct type and incorporate it into your day
• Homeschooling with one child
• Homeschooling with multiple children
• What makes a good learning environment and how to create it
• School organization- how to organize all the "stuff" that comes along with a preschooler
• Home organization- how to organize your home and day to make life a little simpler
• Lapbooks- why they are great for a preschooler and how to use them
  
• What's really important at the end of the day

This book was truly a wealth of information. There were so many ideas that I will go back to it over and over! Several of the articles include lists of activity after activity that you could use tomorrow with things around the house.

There are lots of books out there, but this one really covers a lot of different topics and all from a homeschooling perspective. If you are feeling overwhelmed about teaching a preschooler, this book will help ease your fears, give you confidence, and provide you the necessary tools to be successful.

This E-book will soon be released at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Store. Don't miss out on this great read!


Heidi Miller-Ford

Sue Patrick's Workbox System

I have come across something that I think will revolutionize the way you do school, Sue Patrick's Workbox System. Sue has been working on this system for many years. She started using it with her autistic son many years ago and has now made it available to all families with children of all abilities. This system will help you to organize your child's work, make him more independent and be able to focus better, complete more work than you ever imagined, incorporate fun activities that have been laying around on the shelves, and enjoy school so much more, all at the same time. Where else can you find that?

There are some materials required to set this system up, but once it's in place, it's just a matter of filling the boxes each week.



This is a picture of how I have chosen to set up our system. Sue recommends a shoe rack, but I couldn't find one that fit our plastic boxes correctly. Many families have modified this system to work with their style and space. Some even using big manila envelopes in a big plastic container.

The ideas is to set up 12 workboxes (or a number that works best for your child). You first fill them with your core subjects and then the remaining boxes are filled with review materials and fun materials you never get to. These could be anything from file folder games to puzzles (really anything that would be fun and educational).

You will notice on my boxes that there are Velcro dots and some little cards attached to them. Sue suggests using a schedule strip to help your child work independently through the boxes each day. This strip will have Velcro with number cards 1-12 attached, as well as other cards mixed in for other things the child will do during the day like centers, lunch, PE, etc. The child takes the first number off and goes to the workboxes and matches the number on the card to the number on the box. He sticks it on the dot and takes the box to his seat. If the box has a "work with mom" card on it, he will know he is not to do it independently. Everything the child needs to complete the assignment should be included in the box. This saves time and attention problems by not having to search for materials.

This system has really sparked some enthusiasm in me for preparing for school again. There are so many fun things my son will be doing next year! I am actually excited for school to begin next year at the end of this school year. That has never happened before! Yes, I am usually excited by the time school rolls around again but never at the end of the year. I am going to spend this summer planning and making fun activities to include in the boxes next year. The newness of this system never wears off because each day the child gets up and looks into his boxes to see what exciting things you have filled them with. It's like preparing a surprise for them each day.

I would highly recommend buying Sue's book. I have summed up the general idea of the system but there are more specifics in her book as well as other helpful information. You can find her book at http://www.workboxsystem.com/. She also sells kits with materials that are already done for you so you don't have to spend time making them.

Heidi Miller-Ford

End of Year Congratulations

Congratulations on making it through the school year. If I recorded every high and low I encountered and felt, I would have a virtual theme park full of roller coasters. These all translate into "lessons learned". I remind myself of my personal goals for homeschooling:
- to create a strong family unit
- to develop strong character in my children
- to inspire a love of learning that will last beyond 12th grade
When I review my year and review this list, my heart is balanced out and I rejoice!
To be totally honest, I must admit others could teach my children some subjects better than me. I am not science and math inclined. I hate science experiments. I would rather devote time to history! But education is not my highest goal- GASP- did I say that? The three things I mentioned previously are my goals. I constantly remind myself of these goals. My children have had a wonderful education and
are intelligent. It is the idea of education that can make us doubt and make us devalue the year we just invested in.
For those of us who have chosen homeschooling as a way of life, make sure you focus on your goals when the doubt sets in.
~Shannon